Johnny Mark's "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"

Robert L. May created the character of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer for a colouring book for the department store Montgomery Ward in 1939.  In its first year, 2.5 million copies of the book were distributed.   His brother in law, Johnny Marks, wrote a song about the famous reindeer.  Gene Autry's recording of the song hit number one on the Billboard charts the week of Christmas 1949.  Autry's record eventually sold 25 million copies, a record not broken until the 1980's.  In 1964, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer premiered on television.